Broken Glass
by Empress T'Pau
Summary: my take on what happens to Cinderella after the wedding. Not all things end happily ever after.


Disclaimer: I don't own Cinderella or anyoneor thing that is copyrighted!

Authors Note: I wrote this for school it was supposed to be a satire...keywordsupposed. I'm sure there must be something very similar to this somewhere, so i just want to make it clear that this came out of my mind, but it is possible that i may have subcontiously added things that have already been done in the past...Anyways enjoy.

Broken Glass

Empress T'Pau

Once upon a time in a Kingdom far away, nestled within the confines of a magical forest, lived a beautiful young woman named Cinderella. She lived in the servitude of her cruel and malevolent stepfamily.

Nevertheless, like in all fairytales, this unfortunate young woman found a way through her Fairy Godmother to make all her wishes come true. Cinderella went to the ball and found her Prince charming, they fell in love and against all adversity, they got married. However, it did not end happily ever after, as they would like you to believe…

The first months were wonderful for both the Prince and Cinderella. People everywhere celebrated their unity. Many villagers hoped that Cinderella's roots, as a humble villager would mean an easier life on them all. Cinderella was their little light of hope.

However, all the joy in their marriage would soon start to fade. The Prince became busier with government and had less time for Cinderella.

"Sweet Heart?" Cinderella asked concerned, "We hardly talk anymore, what is wrong?"

"Nothing for a princess to worry about." The Prince said condescendingly.

"I suppose, I'm so happy about tonight."

"Yes about that." The prince said dryly.

"What is it my true and only love." Cinderella said stroking his hair.

"I think that it is time that you change your name."

"But I like—

"It is nonsense, not fitting for a future Queen. After all is it not just a cruel reminder of your past?"

Cinderella pondered a minute, she knew she could not disobey her husband's wish and he did have a point. He was always right.

"Very well my love what should my new name be?" Cinderella said enthusiastically.

"Grace." He said immediately. Cinderella smirked knowing she was far from being graceful.

"Get ready quickly my sweet, the ball will be held tonight in your honor," The Prince said handing her a satchel full of precious gold coins, "Go and buy the most expensive dress and jewelry you can find."

Grace hugged her Prince and watched him leave her chambers regretfully.

"The Prince is so droll, so clever." Aurora, Grace's friend, said blithely, "Grace is a good name for someone like you." She said with sarcasm. Grace never noticed it though, she was to busy looking for a dress.

"This will do." Grace said as she pulled out a beautiful gold dress embroidered with pearls. Its worth was enough to support an entire family for many years.

"It will look stunning," Aurora said as she followed Grace to the clerk like a garden snake.

The clerk counted Graces coins and discovered that she did not have enough money to pay for the dress.

"How embarrassing!" Aurora gasped. Grace blushed and looked nervously at the clerk hoping for some special treatment. Suddenly Aurora clasped her hands on Graces shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"Why don't you just pay using money from the treasury?" Aurora said.

"Can I do that?"

"Course you can silly, I do it at home all the time. Phillip does not notice a thing. How do you think I got these Tiffany earrings and my Louis Vuiton furniture back in my palace?"

Grace sighed not wanting to do it, but she felt she had no choice. As a future Queen she had to keep up an appearance, at least that is what the Prince always says.

The lights glistened against the crystal chandeliers and the gold crown framing in the palace. It hummed with the conversation of hundreds of aristocrats and dignitaries from all over the world, all of them waiting for Grace.

"All clap for Princess Grace!" The Prince announced from high on the pulpit.

Grace took a deep Breath and descended the flight of stairs. They all began to cheer and clap as she walked down. Grace nodded and waved wearing a small smile on her face, she was so happy.

Everyone cheered and gave compliments to the princess,

"You're so beautiful it makes Helen of Troy look like an old hag"

"You're so charming and intelligent."

"The Prince is so lucky to have found someone like you."

Grace took the compliments to heart and she felt like all those things indeed, she was the luckiest woman on the earth.

"Grace," The Prince, said holding her hand, "They all love you and so do I. You are such a wonderful Treasure."

Grace embraced him, "They love me," she thought to herself, "They all love me."

The night went on pretty much the same, Grace found herself wishing that it would never end.

Months turned to years and little by little, Grace continued to lose a lot of contact with her Husband. To fill in that empty hole in her heart she continued to spend money on extravagances. Soon she became well known through out all of Faerie by throwing lavish parties and wearing opulent dresses.

The Prince noticed this, but hardly cared, he was much too concerned with conquering distant lands and collecting taxes from the poor to pay for such wars. Soon the Prince knew he would become King and he would have all that his Father owned, his future Queen, would provide an heir and continue their Dynasty.

Grace transfigured into a greedy woman, far from the humble servant that she had been. Soon the villagers noticed how much of their money was being spent and how much debt the royal family was in. Headlines with depictions of Grace indulging in deficit spending, which angered them all, but there was nothing that could be done.

Grace sat in her royal chamber drinking a potion, which Aurora had given to her. It made her happy. One of the few things that made her happy anymore. The Prince would come by today, his father was near death.

"Soon I will have everything I want." She said smiling to herself, "They will all love me as queen and I will my King." She flailed her arms about as if she was dancing. The potion induced a state of euphoria.

In her madness, she hit a glass slipper and it fell to the floor shattering at the other slipper; she picked it up and threw against the wall. to a million pieces. She laughed in her drunken stupor, "How beautiful," she said admiring the shards of glass on the floor, "What a pretty sound it made." She giggled and looked on as the glass sparkled on the carpet.

She then fell asleep on the floor. A chambermaid came in and saw the mess the Princess had made. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the potion bottle and she gasped. The maid closed the door, ran to the servant quarters, and told everyone about what she had seen. Many thought of her as a gossip, but eventually the news got to the journalists and they began to slander Grace.

To make matters worse the King had finally died, but many speculated that Grace and the Prince might have had something to do with it.

"They don't understand how hard it is to be me!" Grace hissed at her mirror, "I have to always be beautiful and happy, they just don't understand that!" Grace smiled, "But everything will be all right again, tonight I will be declared Queen and all of them will love me." With that, she place on her diamond embedded crown and took a quick sip of the potion to make thing more pleasurable.

"Her royal majesty Queen Grace!" a loud voice announced her title. An orchestra commenced to play as she descended the flight of stairs as a Queen. Her subjects bowed down, their noses barely scraping the floor.

Grace danced like a swan across the dance floor with her King and the others soon joined in the festivity. As the others laughed and danced the Queen and King were interrupted by one of the Kings messengers.

The messenger whispered something into the Kings ear. The King nodded and looked regretfully at Grace.

"I have to go for a moment something has come up."

"Don't do this to me, what can be so important?" Grace clutched her Husband.

"I'm sorry I promise I will be back." The king said and left her alone.

Grace swallowed a bit more of the potion, "He will be back he promised." Then she again started to dance and spin around in circles.

Her guest thought of it as amusing for some time, but others found her irritating, as if she was bewitched.

Grace then stopped tired and began to start conversations with some of her peers when she noticed that a woman was wearing something very near her attire.

"Who is that?" Grace said angrily. The young woman looked like she was going to die. "How dare you?" Grace screeched as she pulled off one of the young woman's decorative flowers. "No one is supposed to look better than me!" She pulled the woman's hair. The young woman shrieked in horror.

"I am the Queen, they love me not you!" Grace had a wild look in her eyes. Everyone had stopped dancing; there was nothing but strange looks and murmurings.

"Why have you all stopped dancing?" She hollered, "Dance! Be merry! STOP LOOKING AT ME!"

Her guests just stared at her as if she was some strange animal. Then she started to laugh and she ran out of the ballroom, ascending the stairs.

"My King will make things right, he loves me!" She thought as she ran down the hallways of her labyrinthine palace. Her beautiful dress glimmered in the dim lighting of the hallway. She was about to go and get a messenger to go and get the King when she spied to odd figures standing in the darkness in the court near the water fountain.

She walked towards them and to her devastation; she saw the Aurora and her King embraced in a passionate kiss.

Grace let out a piercing scream.

"Grace it is not what it looks like." The King said.

"My name is not Grace," she said pulling the crown out of her hair, "Its Cinderella." She flung the crown with all her fury and it flew and cut the king in the forehead.

"Aurora!" Cinderella tackled her and pushed her into the fountain, Aurora struggled beneath the water fighting for her life. Cinderella shoved Aurora's head forcefully into the water, but knowing she was not capable of killing, she released her.

Cinderella finally understood that the only reason people loved her was because of what she had. No one, not even Her King, loved her she was only a possession. Devastated Cinderella ran off into the forest knowing that she could no longer go back and yet happy she was finally free from her captivity.

Cinderella ran not truly caring where she went so long as it was miles away from the Palace. Unexpectedly, a blue light sparkled in the sky and came down upon Cinderella it was her Fairy Godmother.

"Have you come to give me more pretty things? I don't want them." She said very maliciously.

"I'm sorry." Said the Fairy Godmother, "But I am afraid you are with child."

Cinderella paused and then began to laugh.

"Why do you laugh?"

"This is perfect. I will raise this child to raise his arms against his father. This child will be my redemption; he will do what I couldn't do."

"I am sorry you had to go through all that, but it had to happen, you had to learn. Now you are ready to bring destruction to the most corrupt kingdom in all Faerie." The Fairy Godmother said very ominously.

"However, I cannot go back to my people, they despise me."

"Take my hand Cinderella and I will help you."

**Epilogue**

Twenty years went by and Cinderella's son had grown into an upright young man. The peasants rallied behind him and the declared war against the King and the Queen (Aurora). Much blood was shed, but finally the corrupt kingdom fell to its knees and hope was resurrected.


End file.
